The fifth of the eight Ashtavinayak
Abhijeet was a great and powerful king who had everything in life except a son who would be the heir to his throne. The king and his wife at the suggestion of Rishi Vaishyampayane carried great penance and were finally rewarded with son who they named Gana. He later came to be known as Ganaraja.
The son was bright brave and gifted but was also very aggressive. Ganaraja was once invited to visit the ashram of Sage Kapil. The sage was a good host and with the help of the Chintamani Ratna (a precious stone) he was able to serve the best of food to Ganaraj. Impressed by the ratna, Ganaraj wanted it for himself, but when Kapilmuni refused to part with the ratna, he forcibly took it away from him.
Goddess Durga advised Sage Kapil to seek the help of Lord Ganesh. Lord Ganesh responded to his call and battled with Ganaraj under a Kadamba tree and managed to get the ratna back for Kapilmuni. However, Kapilmuni had lost all desire to possess the Chintamani ratna and he offered it Lord Ganesh. He tied the Chintamani Ratna around Lord Ganesha's neck and so he came to be known as the Chintamani Vinayak. Since all of this occurred under a Kadamba tree, Theur was also known as Kadambanagar.
The temple entrance is North facing and the outer wooden hall was built by Shrimant Madhavrao Peshwa. The main temple is supposed to be built by Dharanidhar Maharaj Dev from the family-lineage of Shri Moraya Gosavi approximately 100 years before the wooden hall was built.
The construction of the temple is very strong and throughout it's 400 years of existence, the structure has stood the test of time. There is a big 5 metal bell, one of the 2 bells bought from Europe in the temple premises.
There is garden dedicated to wife of Madhav Rao Peshwa who went sati after Madhav Rao's death. Due to time constraints, I did not check the garden.
I had combined the visit to this temple with Ranjangaon Mahaganapati and covered Theur on my return journey from Ranjangaon. The two places can be covered comfortable in half a day.
Once you are near the temple premises, there is an allocated parking in the same lane as the temple. It took me a few minutes to spot the parking lot as the area near the temple is flocking with visitors and flower vendors. There is a small board indicating the parking area and can be seen if watched closely.
There is a small eatery inside the temple premises offering full meal at Rs.15 sponsored by some trust. The food is decent enough for the cost. You can also buy prasad at the counter in the temple premises.
About:
The son was bright brave and gifted but was also very aggressive. Ganaraja was once invited to visit the ashram of Sage Kapil. The sage was a good host and with the help of the Chintamani Ratna (a precious stone) he was able to serve the best of food to Ganaraj. Impressed by the ratna, Ganaraj wanted it for himself, but when Kapilmuni refused to part with the ratna, he forcibly took it away from him.
Goddess Durga advised Sage Kapil to seek the help of Lord Ganesh. Lord Ganesh responded to his call and battled with Ganaraj under a Kadamba tree and managed to get the ratna back for Kapilmuni. However, Kapilmuni had lost all desire to possess the Chintamani ratna and he offered it Lord Ganesh. He tied the Chintamani Ratna around Lord Ganesha's neck and so he came to be known as the Chintamani Vinayak. Since all of this occurred under a Kadamba tree, Theur was also known as Kadambanagar.
The temple entrance is North facing and the outer wooden hall was built by Shrimant Madhavrao Peshwa. The main temple is supposed to be built by Dharanidhar Maharaj Dev from the family-lineage of Shri Moraya Gosavi approximately 100 years before the wooden hall was built.
The construction of the temple is very strong and throughout it's 400 years of existence, the structure has stood the test of time. There is a big 5 metal bell, one of the 2 bells bought from Europe in the temple premises.
There is garden dedicated to wife of Madhav Rao Peshwa who went sati after Madhav Rao's death. Due to time constraints, I did not check the garden.
Places Nearby:
Duration:
Half a day trip
How to reach:
The temple is very close to Solapur Highway and can be reached from various directions.I had combined the visit to this temple with Ranjangaon Mahaganapati and covered Theur on my return journey from Ranjangaon. The two places can be covered comfortable in half a day.
There is a small eatery inside the temple premises offering full meal at Rs.15 sponsored by some trust. The food is decent enough for the cost. You can also buy prasad at the counter in the temple premises.
Route Map:
Have marked the temple on the map, the route is one which I took for combined trip covering Theur and Ranjangaon.
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View Larger Map
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